Modern Yankee Builders Inc. of Cumberland, R.I., may not be the biggest remodeler on the block, but principal Joseph C. Cracco, CGR, CAPS, doesn’t let that limit his vision.

For one thing, he favors a “systems” approach, something he learned while working for two large companies that specialized in commercial construction management. When Cracco started Modern Yankee Builders, he started a project administration binder, something that many small remodelers don’t have.

“We have a sales process, a design process, a production process; we can identify all the steps that we go through,” Cracco explains. “Over the years we expanded it, and now it’s a manual that anybody could step in and start running the business with.”

Cracco’s organization and passion for precision might also be explained by the fact that his grandfather ran a millwork company and was a draftsman, and his father taught drafting at high school and was a cabinet maker. When was 12 years old, the young Cracco drafted a full set of house plans as a school project.

While Cracco was struggling to make ends meet during the early years of Modern Yankee Remodelers, he discovered the importance of education and industry involvement.